Piano-action.



No. 67!,566. Patented Apr. 9, 190:. u. c. SCHWABZ.

PIANO ACTION.

\Application filed Dec. 18, 1900.

(N0 Modem 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

I WITNESSES [NV T R Allomej ma Noam PETERS co. PHoro-umo WASNINGTDN, n. c.

No. 67|,566. Patented Apr. 9, l90l.

: H. C.'SCHWARZ.

PIANO ACTION.

I 'Applicltion filed Dec. 18, 1900. (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

THE ohms FEIERS co PNOTO-LITNCL, WASHINGYQN. n cy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY O. SCHVVARZ, OF NORIVALK, Ol-IIO.

PIANO-ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 671,566, dated April 9, 1901.

Application filed December 18, 1900. Serial No. 40,283. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HENRY O. SoHwARZ, a resident of Norwalk, in the county of Huron and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano-Actions; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in piano-actions, the object of the invention being to provide improved means for preventring lost motion to the action when the soft pedal is operated and make the hammers as sensitive to a touch on the keys with the soft pedal depressed as when in its normal raised position; and with this object in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View in side elevation, showing the parts in their normal position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when the soft pedal is operated, and Figs. 3, 4:, and 5 are enlarged views of details of construction.

1 represents a frame to which is secured the action-rail 2. The hammer-butt 3, carrying hammer 4, is pivotally connected to the upper edge of rail 2, and my improved whippen or whip 5 is pivotally connected at one end to said rail 2 and projects out beyond the same and has pivotally mounted thereon the jack 6, disposed against the hammer-butt 3, as shown.

A hammer-rail 7 for limiting the movement of the hammers is normally supported on the frame 1, and an adjusting-bar 8 is connected at its upper edge, by hinges 9, with arms 1O on frame 1 slightly below the whippen or whip 5, and a rod 10 is pivotally connected at its upper end to hammer-rail 7 and at its lower end adjustably secured to a bracket 11, having slight universal connection with bar 8 by means of a spool 12, disposed in an opening in the bracket 11 and secured to the bar 8 by a screw, as shown.

13 represents a piano-key provided on its inner end with the ordinary capstan 14, on which the lower end of the push-rod 15 rests,

the upper end of which latter is held against the lower face of the whippen or whip 5, and is connected near itslower end to a bar 16 on frame 1 by a link 17 and near its upper end to the adjusting-bar S by means of a series of pivotally-connected links 18.

The under face of the whippen or whip 5, against which the upper end of push-rod 15 rests, is curved in the arc of a circle eccentric with the lower end of said rod 15, so as to raise the whippen or whip slightly when the rail 7 is raised, as will more fully hereinafter appear, and the rail 7 is connected with the soft pedal (not shown) by means of a rod or rods 19, so that when the soft pedal is depressed the rail 7 will be raised to the position shown in Fig. 2.

The operation of my improvements is as follows: When the soft pedal is depressed, the rod or rods 19 will force rail 7 up from its supports and hold the same and hammers resting thereon in the position shown in Fig. 2. The raising of rail 7 will, through the medium of rod or rods 10, swing bar 8 on its hinge 9 and pull the links 18 outward, thus drawing the upper end of push-rod 15 outward to the position shown in Fig. 2, and owing to the curved under face of the whippen or whip 5 will raise the same slightly, so as to maintain the upper end of the jack 6 against the hammer-butt 3 and at the same time not affect the position of the key-13 in the slightest. It will thus be seen that there will be no lost motion whatever and that the operation of the hammer will be as sensitive to a touch on the keys when the soft pedal is depressed as when it is in its normal position.

Various slight changes might be resorted to in the general form and arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I would have it understood that I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and pen or whip having its lower face curved in the arc of a circle, a jack supported thereon for operating the hammer, a push-rod disposed against the curved under face of the whippen or whip, a key for operating said.

rod and means connecting the upper end of the push-rod and ham mer-support for moving the upper end of the rod on the curved under face of the whippen or whip when the hammer-support is raised.

2. In a piano-action, the combination with a hammer, a movable support therefor, a key and a push-rod supported at its lower end on said key, of a whippen or whip having its under or lower face curved in the arc of a circle eccentric with the lower end of said rod and with which the upper end of the rod engages, a jack on said whippen or whip to engage the hammer, and means connected with the hammer-support for drawing the upper end of the push-rod outward to raise the whippen or whip slightly to compensate for the raising of the hammer, when the hammer-supp0rt is raised.

3. In a piano-action, the combination with a frame, an action-rail secured thereto, a hammer pivoted to the upper edge of the rail, a whippen or whip pivotally connected at one end to the lower edge ofthe actionrail and having a curved lower face, and a with the frame, and a series of pivoted links connecting the push-rod near its upper end with the adj Listing-bar.

4. In a piano-action, the combination with a movable hammer-support, a whippen having a curved under face, a key and a push-rod bearing against the curved face of the whippen and arranged to be actuated by the key, of a hinged bar, a connection between said bar and the push-rod, and a rod connected at one end with the hammer-support and having a hinge connection at its other end with said hinged bar.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY O. SOIHVARZ.

Witnesses:

E. G. BOUGI-ITON, BELLE V. CHISI-IOLM. 

